In the
City of Coatesville with some exceptions the 4 year period between 2006 and
2010 was a time of near total change in the city administration office staff,
police staff and fireman staff.
I think
the Coatesville City Council that came in January of 2006 began a purge of City
employees that with some exemptions changed City staff using a formula of cronyism
1st and race 2nd. I believe that fitness, training and qualifications
for the job were for the most part not considered. And the result was 4 years
of chaotic mismanagement that had no equal in Chester County.
I believe
a firing and hiring policy based primarily cronyism and somewhat on race resulted
in amazing financial unaccountability that among other things resulted in lost
grants and financial known unknowns and financial unknown, unknowns. We began a
forensic audit under District Attorney Joe Carroll done by Manny Dechter but
Mr.Dechter was tossed out by City Council before his audit was complete. I
guess the forensic audit made some people with political pull uncomfortable.
On the
public safety side, in the years between 2006 and 2010 the City of Coatesville
experienced a new crime wave and unprecedented arson fires.
The City
Council that Coatesville now in place is for the most part a disaster cleanup
crew cleaning up 2006 thru 2010. Our present Council may have made some wrong
turns, but after coming to so many Coatesville City Council meetings everyone at
the head table seems like family and I like all of them. You may disagree with
them at times, but all of the people at the table try to do what is best for
Coatesville.
Our
police and fire departments need some work but they are coming around. Several development
projects proposed more than a decade ago are finally in the ground or in
progress. There may be fits and starts but I think the City of Coatesville
finally has a bright future.
